The 2025 edition of the Breeders’ Cup, thoroughbred horse racing's year-end global championship event, has been confirmed as taking place at the Del Mar venue in California.
October 31 and November 1, 2025, will mark the 42nd edition of the event and will be the fourth time Del Mar has hosted the World Championships, the annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races with prize money totaling more than $31 million.
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Indeed, the site is also set to host the 2024 edition of the iconic race, as was announced in February this year.
Located on the Pacific coastline, just north of San Diego, Del Mar is characterized by the Breeders' Cup as one of the world’s most recognizable and scenic racing venues.
Drew Fleming, president and chief executive of Breeders’ Cup Limited, has said: "Our return to Del Mar in back-to-back years marks the continuation of a wonderful collaboration and successful partnership, both with our friends at the track and with the greater San Diego area, demonstrating our continued commitment to California horse racing.”
The two previous races at Del Mar, in 2017 and 2021, set wagering records. At the 2017 World Championships, the two-day on-track wagering handle established a Breeders’ Cup record of over $25 million. Moreover, the 2017 Cup generated approximately $96 million in economic impact, including $3.6 million in hotel room revenue, according to the Tourism Marketing District.
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By GlobalDataIn 2021, meanwhile, the World Championship operated at 50% capacity due to pandemic protocols. Nevertheless, Del Mar had a then-record all-sources handle for the World Championships of almost $183.3 million.
This year's 40th running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships took place at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, on November 3 and 4.
In preparation for that event, horse racing rights agency HBA Media struck several new broadcast deals across key global territories.
Last year, HBA Media renewed its long-standing deal to provide exclusive linear and digital international distribution services for the Breeders’ Cup until 2024, taking the relationship between the pair past the decade mark.
This year's event was produced by national network NBC as the host broadcaster, with five championship races to be covered on its main channel and a full two-day card also available across Peacock (streaming), USA Network, and FanDuel.
